Haslam remains defiant as Blyth Spartans prepare for 'crucial' month

Nathan Haslam is unwavering and unapologetic when he is asked the main question being posed at Blyth Spartans in this most troubled of seasons.

Just over ten days have passed since the former Whitby Town boss was named as head coach at Croft Park as he works alongside manager Michael Connor in a bid to reinvigorate the fortunes during the second half of the campaign. As it stands, after collecting a point in a goalless draw at Morpeth Town on New Years Day, Spartans languish at the bottom of the Northern Premier League Premier Division, and after winning just two of their 23 league games, they are 12 points from safety.

Yet Haslam remains defiant when he is asked whether a second consecutive relegation, and only the third in the club’s long and proud history, has already been accepted as a foregone conclusion by the players and coaching staff that have a responsibility to keep fighting as their predecessors in green and white have done for many a generation.

He told The Gazette: “I am looking at the players and I’m not seeing a group that are down and out and defeated. I think there’s been a shift in mentality recently, the boys know what standards are required of them and there will be no beating around the bush - they are either with us or they are not. It’s about getting them all on board and I think after looking at them in the Whitby game and Morpeth game, every single one of them is on board. They know the task in hand and they will do everything they can to get us out of it.”

Since a community-led ownership group completed a takeover at Spartans in late October, there have been major changes on and off the field at Croft Park. Tom Wade, the club’s manager when they reached the FA Cup third round a decade ago, has reverted to a director of football role after initially returning to Spartans to work alongside Connor. Several local businessmen, fronted by interim chairman Martin Trinder, are working hard to improve the club’s financial situation and allow Connor and Haslam to continue in their attempts to boost the playing squad. However, money remains tight and Haslam has stressed the need to move players on before more experienced additions that are willing to join the fight against relegation can be secured.

“From what I’m seeing it’s chalk and cheese from what I’m used to so from that point of view, it’s a case of getting it right on the pitch and that’s the bread and butter for me. We’re having to free money up because it’s been mismanaged and there are players available, experienced players that can improve us without a doubt but we have to try and create the money to do that and that means players going out before any new players come in. It’s an easy fix - but it’s the time and how quickly we can get that turned around. It’s not the players’ fault, they’ve signed deals based on what the previous regime has given them and it’s not what I’m used to in terms of how they’ve been structured - but we know what we are working with and we just have to try our best. I have no doubt we will start moving forwards in the next couple of weeks.”

Despite not being the win that the new Spartans owners crave, the goalless draw at Morpeth feels like a step forwards. The clean sheet was only the fourth of the season and it was achieved with a new look defence as goalkeeper Ollie Basey and recent signings Matthew Ridley and Paddy Almond were all handed their their first starts for the club. After an improved second-half display in the Boxing Day home loss against a Whitby side reduced to nine men, continuing to build momentum with a positive performance against the Highwaymen was key for Haslam.

He said: “I’ve seen Blyth play this season against Campion, a team from lower down the pyramid and they won after extra-time. I was in the stand for the Whitby game and we made the worst possible start, we were terrible and I felt I should be beside Mick in the dugout for the rest of the game. You have to look at the second-half performance and I thought the boys were brilliant and I think the fans appreciated that. We needed to carry on from that second-half against Morpeth and we needed to get a performance for the duration of the game. We got that and although we didn’t get a win, it was an exceptional performance for a team that have struggled all season really.”

With the new year should come new hope for Spartans, no matter how bleak their situation may well be at this point in time. Saturday’s home game with play-off contenders Ashton United represents the first of three consecutive Croft Park fixtures and with six of their next nine games coming on home soil, there is a chance to at least make some positive strides in the first weeks of the new year. Haslam left nobody in any doubt over how key the coming weeks will be for everyone at the club as he urged the Spartans squad to give supporters a much-needed boost by claiming some invaluable points to aid their battle against the drop.

He explained: “It is a massive month for us, every week is massive for us and it’s our job, as a squad and as a management team to make sure we are putting performances in because we need the fans with us and to be our twelfth man. I’m amazed by how well the club is supported, at Morpeth there must have been around 300 there clapping the boys off at the end of the game and it means a lot. It’s such a brilliantly supported club and we need to get them onside by getting results. The performances go out of the window to an extent and it’s results we need. There’s three home games there, we haven’t won many home games and that needs to change starting on Saturday.”